Scaling Your SaaS Application In The Cloud

Last week[1] we talked about cloud services to help enhance your SaaS application infrastructure[2]. Today we’ll talk about how to use the cloud to expand your current infrastructure into the future. The cloud gives you the same options for scaling that you’d find in a traditional SaaS environment with advantages that you can’t get out of traditional architecture.

How Cloud Scaling Works

When it’s time to scale vertically with physical or dedicated infrastructure you’ll have to deal with adding capacity to your existing servers. The process may include downtime and other infrastructure adjustments to access the additional resources. In the cloud, resources can be set to add automatically or you can instantly add capacity with a few clicks.

Similarly, the cloud alleviates the need to procure new hardware to accommodate horizontal scaling. In traditional environments, horizontal scale involves adding more servers to achieve more capacity. The time to receive the hardware and stand it up hinders agility and leaves you holding capacity you may only use occasionally. Horizontal scale in the cloud is as easy as a few clicks in the control panel to add more nodes – no hardware, no time to setup.

Three Benefits Of Cloud Scaling

More efficient use of resources because you’re not tied to hardware that you’re not actively utilizing.

Open API[3] and control panel management allows you to set your parameters and let it run without babysitting servers.

Powered by OpenStack so you can move your application to another cloud or to your onsite data center without rebuilding your application code.

Over time, a complex SaaS environment will include a combination of these scaling techniques. Talk to our team of cloud experts for help in figuring out the best options for your workloads. Next week, we’ll talk about how SaaS startups use the cloud to stay lean.

Trey is a cloud evangelist with the Rackspace Startup Program. Check out the previous post in his SaaS series about cloud enhancements that your SaaS app can use today[4]. In his next post, Trey will talk about why SaaS startups begin their journey at Rackspace[5]. Find out more about hosting your SaaS application at Rackspace[6].

Endnotes:

Last week: http://www.rackspace.com/blog/cloud-enhancements-your-saas-app-can-use-today/